Use of medical devices for diagnosing or treating conditions of the body can result in entrapping biological material on the surface or within the structure of the medical device. Cleaning and subsequent sterilization of medical devices after use may provide sufficiently safe conditions for reuse. However, material fatigue and chemical reactions during sterilization may result in unsafe conditions for use of medical devices after repetitive sterilization cycles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,780 presents a catheter that electronically retains an identification code that uniquely identifies the predetermined operating characteristics. The catheter is capable of transmitting the identification code to an external reader in response to a predetermined prompt. An associated apparatus reads the identification code and compares it to predetermined operating criteria. The identification code can be pre-programmed on a solid state micro-chip integrated into the catheter handle. Alternatively the identification means can be based on a resistor with a prescribed electrical resistance value, integrated into the catheter, and the electrical resistance value becomes the identification code when sensed by the associated apparatus. The apparatus will not permit interaction with the functional catheter component if the identification code indicates that the functional characteristics of the catheter are not suited for the intended interaction. The catheter can store usage information on the solid state micro-chip, to prevent reuse.
Integration of specific electronic devices such as microchips for retaining an identification code or resistors for identifying the medical device based on a specific resistance value requires also connection to the electronics for read out and control purposes. Incorporating additional electronics in tightly packed medical devices like catheters or interventional needles presents a serious technical challenge due to severe dimensional requirements of such medical devices. Furthermore, functional requirements regarding connection of the medical devices to operating systems such as flexibility and handling freedom is conflicting with addition of specific connections required for the identification micro-chip or electrical resistance to the read out electronics. Any additional electronic component integrated into the medical device, as well as long transmission lines between read-out electronics and medical device represent potential electromagnetic interference burden on detection signals measured during the intended use of the medical device comprising ultrasound emitter/sensor elements.
WO2008032239A2 presents a medical system for generating comprehensive simulated report of the system's capabilities for demonstration and validation purposes, the medical system comprising an ultrasound imaging probe, an ultrasound signal path, a processing unit, disk drive and a report printer. The comprehensive report simulation is realised with the following steps: storing patient data and raw data corresponding to signals in a first database contained in the medical system; processing the raw data to obtain data corresponding to visually conceivable information; using the patient data and the visually conceivable information to create a report simulation.